“Now Welcoming Women” was the slogan employed last fall by the retailer formerly known as Mark’s Work Wearhouse as it completed a nationwide rebrand to just plain Mark’s.

A year later, it would appear that not enough women were interested in accepting the invitation.

While the national apparel chain — which is owned by the Canadian Tire Corp. — wanted to spread the message that it was incorporating a full selection of women’s clothing into its stores, an advertising campaign drew attention for the wrong reasons, as critics questioned the condescending attitude.

Moreover, the store always sold work wardrobes for men and women throughout its 35-year history, even if the slogan was supposed to signal a move toward a wider selection geared to every gender — plus larger fitting rooms, better mirrors and lighting.

But news about a replacement tagline for Mark’s advertising provides some verification that the rebranding rollout backfired.

via Marketing Magazine

“Ready For This,” a replacement slogan unveiled during commercials on the Emmy Awards telecast, has signalled a strategy to move Mark’s beyond its traditional demographic of older, rural males to a younger, urban demographic.

A report from the trade publication Marketing noted the retreat from the ill-fated “Now Welcoming Women” — even though the clothing categorized as female-focused now represents 17 per cent of sales.

Customer surveys did not give the store enough motivation to try and balance the selection any further, though, even if three-quarters of the male customers said that functional women’s clothing like yoga pants and hoodies should stick around.

The reason cited for that preference, according to Marketing, was that it would give the significant others of male Mark’s devotees something to look at on a shared shopping trip rather than perhaps sitting on a chair and staring into space if trying on steel-toe work boots is not their thing.

Certainly, few clothing stores focused on women seem inclined to make this kind of accommodation.

Mark’s has also promised that its attempt to reach out to the 35-year-old urban male with a younger look and feel will not alienate the outdoorsy 60-year-olds who have long frequented the stores — whether or not they ever gave a damn about how women felt about the products that Mark’s Work Wearhouse sold.